my thoughts and creations

Thirsty dog

It is summer time in this part of the world. Hot bright sun makes our day longer than usual. It is also a month of Ramadan here and so for those fasting, these are real long summer days.

Few days back I attended a wedding of one of my husband’s cousins. It was a destination wedding – a first time experience for me. The functions were spread over a period of two days. The wedding was at a resort near a beach. We were very excited about the whole wedding idea.

As soon as we reached there, we realised that it was not going to be easy because it was really hot and with the rains expected to arrive any moment, it was all the more humid. Soon the functions started. We were in a trance like situation – waking up, having breakfast, getting dressed for the function, meeting people, dancing, food again… this circle just went on for two days. Some functions were in an auditorium while most of them were outdoors.

On the day of the wedding, the venue was outside in the open. The sun was really strong. We couldn’t just bear the heat. We were very happy for the young couple getting married but we couldn’t ignore the heat. Everybody was going around looking for a shade and some cold water.

Just like everybody looking for water, a dog was also looking around searching for a shade and some water. This dog belonged to the cousin, who was getting married. The otherwise excited dog was restlessly looking for water. But this is something that nobody noticed. We were all so busy managing ourselves, talking about the heat and looking at the wedding that we just didn’t notice the dog.

After sometime, we noticed one elderly lady taking water in her hand from a bottle and placing it at the mouth of the dog who lapped up the water each time she gave. It was a sight worth seeing. I was busy talking to somebody when I noticed the lady giving the water to the dog with her hand, splashing water on the head and body of the dog to cool it down and talking lovingly to the dog.

I was so touched seeing this gesture that I definitely wanted to write about it here. I can still not forget the way she gave water and the dog lapped it up. It is an act of goodness on the part of that lady, who forgetting her own difficulties, took care of the dog. To understand and talk about our own problems is one thing, but to understand what the other is going through and that too, somebody who cannot talk is a whole another story. Incidents like these make me more human and teach me to care for others.

In a world, where everybody is concerned about the self, such good acts make us care for and do something good for someone.